Ugh! MICE! Exterminator recommendations?

We've recently discovered evidence of mice in our home in the Columbine area. It doesn't help that our next-door neighbor is a "bird lover" who dumps massive amounts of bird seed all over his yard, right on the part that borders ours. [Rant1]

Any recommendations for an exterminator who is good at ridding homes of mice? We spent about half a day last month cleaning up the tiles in our dropped-ceiling basement with lots of mouse poop and one dead mouse. I put in some of those "sonic" mouse repeller things and tried to stuff steel wool into anything outside opening that looked big enough for a mouse to come in,

Over the past few years I've found a couple of dead mice in the basement.

but then this morning there was a live mouse in the dog's food bowl! [panic]

I really hate this but the wife hates mice even more than I do and I just want to get rid of them.

Thanks in advance!

Stick wherever you've seen evidence of mice. Worried other critters may get into them? Use the black boxes.Attachment 88661

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Originally Posted by kidicarus13

Stick wherever you've seen evidence of mice. Worried other critters may get into them? Use the black boxes.Attachment 88661

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Tractor supply is a good source for those. I had a run with mice, that stuff murdered 'em good. I got several of the black boxes initially, then just bought the bucket of poison bricks and refilled the "non-refillable" boxes.
Tossed some outside where pets can't get to them too.

Get a couple of outdoor mouse bait stations and put them around your property. It will help to kill the mice before they get in your house.

https://www.amazon.com/Tomcat-Bait-S...9160973&sr=8-5

Yeah, I've got some of the poison stations around but we still have the mice. Also have to be careful of our dog who will eat anything that will fit into her mouth.

I got my best results with these traps, freshly baited daily with a dab of peanut butter. I got the covered ones because I had an elderly cat at the time, who was no longer any good as a mouser, but I didn't want her getting hurt by open traps.
Attachment 88663
I also used glue boards folded into their box shape, along baseboards.

Note, though, that nothing will do any permanent good unless you find and close the way(s) they're getting into the house, especially with the neighbor basically baiting your yard for you.

I made cheap outdoor bait stations out of the white 2 gallon plastic buckets from HomeDepot or Lowes.

Use a 1 inch hole saw to make a hole in the side near the bottom.
The hole is small enough that only mice/rats can get in.
Put in the Tomcat/D-Con cubes covered with peanut butter.
Fasten the lid.
Set something heavy on it so the wind does not it blow around.

I set them out in late fall and usually have to re-bait them after a couple weeks.
The mice get cleaned up quickly.
We had a couple rats move into a retaining wall one summer, it took them out quickly as well.

I only use mechanical traps. As a kid, I lost my cat to what the vet indicated was probably eating DECON poisoned mice from the neighbors. Not the raw poison, but the dead or dying mice.

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Originally Posted by .455_Hunter

I only use mechanical traps. As a kid, I lost my cat to what the vet indicated was probably eating DECON poisoned mice from the neighbors. Not the raw poison, but the dead or dying mice.

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this. use mechanical traps. if you have an infestation, buy 40 or 50 (or more).

Bird feeders are the worst. My wife hung one on our patio and several days later, I looked out the sindow and mice were scurrying around on the patio. Bird feeder got evicted. I concur on the mechanical traps with peanut butter. Set them and re-check/reset often. I get mice in the garage occasionally, especially when colder weather sets in. I'll catch 5 or 6 within a couple days and that seems to keep it under control as then I'll stop catching any (or will get one every now and then).

We had a friend whose cat died and the vet suspected the same as someone above mentioned with the cat eating poisoned mice. Also, I've had people tell me they used the bait and they'd have mice crawl into spots and then die where they couldn't find them and they stink for weeks.

A good house cat does wonders. I've been in my house for 11 years and have never needed anything store-bought. Most years there aren't any mice but I've had 3 or 4 years where there may be multiple, topping out at five. My cat will disappear at night for a few days and then I find a carcass (she won't eat them). So every few years she earns her keep.

There are good youtube videos with mouse traps. I'll suggest you put up a fake owl too.

Mice in the house sucks! The moved into our gas range and pantry a few years ago.

We went with the Tomcat glue traps which are horrible because you only catch them then then you have to go kill them yourself, but they worked! Every night we put them in the paths they might follow when looking for food and I would get up super early and collect them and deal with any that were caught. Took about 6 weeks until we were clear.

Of course also spend time sealing up any way they might be getting in. Good luck!

I don't use poisons as not to harm another animal that might eat the dead mouse.
Glue traps are great, on you to kill the mouse. They catch everything. Placed at the side of the garage door I've found plenty of bugs, snakes and even small birds that are attracted by the insects.

YouTube Mousetrap Monday -- a lot of the traps are a dowel over a 5 gallon bucket.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ShawnWoodsprimitive-archer

https://www.rinnetraps.com/?ref=shawnwoods1

A24 automatic trap - a bit pricey. No poison and this kills the mouse.
https://www.automatictrap.com/

Inside I use glue traps along the walls then generic mechanical snap traps baited with peanut butter.

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Originally Posted by Seamonkey

A24 automatic trap - a bit pricey. No poison and this kills the mouse.
https://www.automatictrap.com/

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That thing is nuts. For $200, you could buy 400 Victor traps--that would eliminate your problem in a hurry.

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Originally Posted by battlemidget

I'll suggest you put up a fake owl too.

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We had a real one from December 2020 until March. I wish to hell she'd come back. Eastern screech owl. We called her "Eve" because she moved in on Christmas Eve.

Attachment 88681

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Originally Posted by funkymonkey1111

That thing is nuts. For $200, you could buy 400 Victor traps--that would eliminate your problem in a hurry.

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Hey now, don't go stomping on my dream. I've been saving up for over 2 years now to afford an A24... [ROFL2]

From the worlds largest retailer. Traps were being picked clean. Sonic repellers were not working.

Attachment 88742

The green blocks work wonders. I used to have a problem with mice in my garage but haven't since I started using them..

But...then you have the possibility that you have to track down where the dead mouse smell is coming from...

Or deal with a wife who sees a dying mouse crawling across the floor as she tries to load the kids up for school in the morning.

Neither possibility is pleasant.